Tamper evident security seal

ABSTRACT

A security seal includes a locking element and a locking body configured to receive an end of the locking element therein to secure the security seal at an object. The locking body may include a deformable wall that deforms responsive to a sufficient pressure applied to the wall of the locking body. A disk element may be disposed in the locking body and movable along a tapered channel to clamp against the locking element to limit retraction of the locking element. The tapered channel may have an arcuate surface along which the disk element moves to provide a progressively increasing bite angle and clamping force at the locking element. The disk element may have a knurled surface with a circumferential groove established circumferentially around the disk element, with the circumferential groove offset from a center line of the disk element and toward a respective end of the disk element.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 61/226,810, filed Jul. 20, 2009, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to locking devices or security seals forlocking or sealing items, such as cargo containers or doors or the like,and, more particularly, to a security seal with a flexible cable that issecured to a seal body to secure the security seal to an item.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known in the art to provide a security seal or locking device forlocking or sealing an item, such as cargo containers or doors or thelike. The locking devices often include a flexible cable or bolt or thelike extending from one end of a metallic or plastic locking body, wherethe cable or bolt or the like may be routed through an opening of thecargo container or door and received into another end of the lockingbody to substantially seal or secure the locking device to the cargocontainer or door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a security seal or rocking device, suchas a cable security seal or locking device (or a bolt type security sealor other metallic or plastic locking devices or seals or lock bodies)that has a locking body (such as a metallic locking body), whichreceives a locking element or cable therein to secure the seal to acontainer or door. The security seal may have a collapsible wall orcrush zone so that it is readily evident or discernible if the securityseal has been tampered with. The security seal may have a disk or ballelement that moves along an arcuate or curved tapered channel to clampagainst the locking element or cable received therein.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a locking or sealingdevice includes a locking element (such as a flexible metallic wovencable or the like or such as any other flexible or semi-rigid lockingelement or rod or the like, and such as a metallic or plastic lockingelement) and a locking body. The locking body is configured to receivean end of the locking element therein to lock or seal or secure thelocking device at an object. The locking body has a collapsible ordeformable wall that collapses or deforms responsive to a personapplying pressure to the walls of the locking body, and thus provides atamper evident feature.

The locking body may receive a locking insert therein, and thecollapsible or deformable wall may be spaced from the locking insert sothat the wall may deform towards the locking insert when pressure isapplied thereto. The locking insert may include a disk or ball thatrolls or moves along a tapered or inclined channel to clamp against thecable or locking element to limit or substantially preclude retractionof the locking element when the security seal is secured to a containeror door. The tapered or inclined channel may include a curved or arcuateramp or surface along which the ball or disk may roll or move to provideenhanced clamping at the locking element.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a locking orsealing device includes a locking element (such as a flexible metallicwoven cable or the like or such as any other flexible or semi-rigidlocking element or rod or the like, and such as a metallic or plasticlocking element) and a locking body. The locking body is configured toreceive an end of the locking element therein to lock or seal or securethe locking device at an object. The locking insert includes a disk orball that rolls or moves along a tapered or inclined channel to clampagainst the cable or locking element to limit or substantially precluderetraction of the locking element when the security seal is secured to acontainer or door. The tapered or inclined channel include a curved orarcuate ramp or surface along which the ball or disk may roll or move toprovide enhanced clamping at the locking element.

The locking element may comprise a flexible cable, with one end of theflexible cable being fixedly connected to a fixed portion of the lockingbody and extending therefrom, and the other end of the flexible cablebeing received in a locking portion of the locking body to lock or sealthe locking device at the object. The locking body may comprise ametallic material (and may be coated with a polymeric or plastic orpolyester coating or powder coat) or may comprise a polymeric or plasticmaterial.

The disk element may comprise a cylindrical disk having a plurality ofknurls or teeth established therealong and around a circumference of thedisk element. The disk element may have a circumferential grooveestablished in the knurled outer surface and circumferentially aroundthe disk element, or the disk element may have two or more spaced apartcircumferential grooves established in the knurled outer surface andcircumferentially around the disk element.

Therefore, the present invention provides a locking device or securityseal (such as a cable locking or sealing device) that provides a tamperevident feature in that if a person attempts to retract the cable orlocking element from the locking body by clamping against or squeezingthe locking body, the wall or walls of the locking body may readilydeform or partially collapse so that a person later observing thesecurity seal can readily discern that the security seal had beentampered with. The present invention also provides a curved or arcuatesurface or ramp along which a disk or ball may roll to clamp the cableor locking element within the locking insert of the locking body. Thecurved or arcuate surface provides a sharper or greater biting angle forthe ball or disk to enhance biting or clamping against the cable orlocking element if the cable is pulled at in an attempt to retract thecable from the locking body. The initial retraction of the cable wheninitially pulled thus may be limited by the sharper bite angle whereby agreater amount of clamping force may be achieved at the cable in areduced amount of longitudinal travel (along the locking body and in thedirection of the cable retraction) of the disk or ball.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of thepresent invention will become apparent upon review of the followingspecification in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable security seal in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the cable security seal of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded plan view of the security seal of FIG. 1, showingthe cable (shown as a broken cable to indicate that the cable may be ofvarious lengths) and security seal body, with the locking insert removedfrom the seal body;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the other side of the security seal of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a sectional view of the security seal taken along the lineA-A in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the security seal taken along the lineB-B in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4C is a sectional view of the security seal taken along the lineC-C in FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the security seal body, with a portion cut-awayto show additional details;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation of the security seal;

FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of the area A in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the security seal, showing the gap betweenthe locking insert and the collapsible wall portion of the locking body;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the area A in FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the locking insert of the security sealof the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the locking insert of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an opposite side elevation of the locking insert of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10A is a sectional view of the locking insert taken along the lineA-A in FIG. 10;

FIG. 10B is a sectional view of the locking insert taken along the lineB-B in FIG. 10;

FIG. 11 is an end elevation of the locking insert of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11A is a sectional view of the locking insert taken along the lineA-A in FIG. 11;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a locking disk having a pair of spacedapart circumferential grooves in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 12A is a side elevation of the locking disk of FIG. 12;

FIG. 12B is an end elevation of the locking disk of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a locking disk having three spacedapart circumferential grooves in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depictedtherein, a locking device or security seal 10 includes a metallic orelastomeric or plastic locking body 12, a locking element, such as, forexample, a flexible locking element or cable 14, and a locking insert 16that is received in locking body 12 and functions to receive and securean end of cable 14 therein when the security seal is secured to an item(FIGS. 1-3). Security seal 10 may be substantially similar in appearanceto the locking device shown in U.S. Design pat. application, Ser. No.29/340,462, filed Jul. 20, 2009 by Stevenson et al. for TAMPER EVIDENTSECURITY SEAL, now U.S. Design Pat. No. D609,076, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Optionally, thesecurity seal may utilize aspects of the locking devices or securityseals described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,578,886; 6,457,754; 5,611,583; and5,352,003, and/or U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 11/053,503, filedFeb. 8, 2005; and/or Ser. No. 10/567,880, filed Feb. 9, 2006, which allare hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Cable 14 is fixedly secured at one end 14 a at a fixed portion 18 oflocking body 12 and extends therefrom. The cable 14 may be routedthrough a hasp or opening of an object (not shown), such as a cargocontainer or door latch or the like, and the opposite or locking end 14b of the cable 14 may be inserted into receiving or locking insert orportion 16 of a locking portion 20 of locking body 12 to lock or sealthe locking or sealing device 10 to the object. The locking insert 16includes a ball or disk element 22 or other locking member positionedwithin a tapered or ramped or inclined channel 24, whereby the diskelement moves along the ramped channel of the locking insert to allowfor insertion of the locking end of the cable 14 in one direction and toclamp onto the cable to limit or substantially preclude retraction ofthe cable (such as by pulling at the cable in the opposite direction)after the cable is inserted into the locking insert 16 and locking body12, and the disk element 22 may be biased toward the narrow end of thechannel via a biasing element 26, such as a spring or the like. Theramped channel of locking insert 16 may comprise a curved or arcuateramped or inclined surface along which the disk may roll or move toenhance the clamping of the disk against the inserted cable, asdiscussed below. The locking body 12 may function to collapse or crushat predetermined areas to limit or substantially preclude removal of thecable from the locking insert and to indicate that the security seal hasbeen tampered with, as also discussed below.

Flexible locking element or cable 14 may comprise any cable or flexibleelement, such as a multi-strand cable that is woven from multiplemetallic strands. For example, the cable 14 may comprise a multi-strandcable having multiple strands of wire woven or wound together, and thenmultiple woven strands may be further woven together to form the wovencable. The cable may comprise a pre-formed or non-preformed type ofcable without affecting the scope of the present invention. The fixedend 14 a of cable 14 is received in a passageway 27 established at leastpartially through fixed portion 18 of locking body 12 and is fixedlyretained therein (such as via staking or welding or crimping or thelike, such as at stakes 27 a shown in FIGS. 4 and 4C) and extendstherefrom. Although shown and described as a flexible cable, it isenvisioned that aspects of security seal 10 may be suitable for use in alocking device or security seal having a substantially rigid lockingelement, such as a substantially rigid locking rod or bolt or the likeor other rigid or flexible locking elements made of a metallic orelastomeric material or the like, while remaining within the spirit andscope of the present invention.

In the illustrated embodiment, locking body 12 includes a generallyplanar rear or back surface 12 a and a tiered or stepped front surface12 b. Optionally, fixed portion 18 of locking body 12 may comprise anarrowed side or edge region 18 a, and the rear surface 12 a of lockingbody 12 may include a roughened surface portion 12 c, which may beroughened or uneven and may have a plurality of ridges and groovesformed therealong (as best shown in FIGS. 3, 4A, 4B and 5-7),established along a portion of rear surface 12 a at narrowed side region18 a. The rear surface 12 a of locking body 12 thus includes roughenedsurface portion 12 c and a generally smooth surface portion 12 d. Theroughened surface 12 c provides a surface upon which the indicia may beprinted, whereby the printed indicia will be difficult to alter orremove due to the uneven surface, thereby providing enhanced tamperevident means to the security seal. In the illustrated embodiment,locking body 12 comprises a metallic material, such as aluminum or steelor the like, but may comprise any suitable material, such as plastic orpolymeric materials, while remaining within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

Locking portion 20 of locking body 12 receives locking insert orretaining element 16 for receiving locking end 14 b of cable 14 thereinand substantially retaining locking end 14 b therein so that removal ofcable 14 and locking end 14 b from locking body 12 is limited orsubstantially precluded. Locking portion 20 of locking body 12 includesa hollow interior (such as shown in FIG. 4C with locking insert 16removed from locking body 12) that is open at one end of the lockingbody for receiving locking insert 16 therein, wherein locking insert 16may be secured within the hollow interior of locking body 12, such asvia any suitable retaining means, such as heat staking, welding, pressfitting and/or the like. Cable 14 extends from fixed end 14 a of cable14 that is fixed at locking body 12 and the free end or locking end 14 bof cable 14 is insertable into an opening or aperture or passageway 29and into locking insert 16 to lock or secure the security seal at anobject, as discussed below.

As can be seen in FIG. 4C, tiered portion or surface 12 b of lockingbody 12 provides for a wider principal receiving portion 28 a at thehollow interior of locking portion 20 of locking body 12 that isgenerally of uniform width (the vertical dimension in FIG. 4C) and anarrowed end portion 28 b. The hollow interior of locking portion 20 oflocking body 12 is formed to receive locking insert 16 therein, whileproviding a gap between locking insert 16 and an outer wall portion 12 eat wider receiving portion 28 a of tiered surface or portion 12 b oflocking body 12, thereby providing a collapsible portion or crush zoneat the locking body, as discussed below.

As best shown in FIGS. 8, 10B and 11, locking insert 16 is formed with awider end portion 16 a and a narrowed end portion 16 b for fitting inthe receiving portion 28 a and narrowed end portion 28 b, and thelocking insert 16 includes an intermediate width portion 16 c that isnarrower than receiving portion 28 a of locking body 12, whereby a gap30 (FIGS. 7 and 7A) is formed or established between the collapsiblewall portion 12 e of locking body 12 and intermediate portion 16 c oflocking insert 16 to provide a crush zone or collapsible wall portion 12e at locking body 12, as discussed below.

As shown in FIG, 3, tapered channel 24 of locking insert 16 receivesdisk element 22 and spring 26 therein. Disk element 22 may comprise anysuitable rollable or movable element, and may include a plurality ofknurls or ridges or teeth to enhance the biting of the disk element 22into the cable 14, and may comprise a generally cylindrical-shaped diskelement or a generally spherical-shaped ball element or the like, whileremaining within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The diskelement 22 may include a circumferential groove established in a knurledouter surface and circumferentially around the disk element andoptionally may include two or more circumferential grooves establishedin a knurled outer surface and circumferentially around the diskelement, such as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. Thetapered channel 24 includes a cable receiving portion 24 a, an inclinedor arcuate guide surface 24 b and a spring receiving portion 24 c.Biasing element or spring 26 is disposed at or in the tapered channel 24and is received at spring receiving portion 24 c and extends therefromand engages disk element 22 to urge the disk element 22 toward areceiving or narrowed end of tapered channel 24 and toward engagementwith the ramped or arcuate guide surface 24 b and the cable 14 that isreceived in cable receiving portion 24 a.

Cable receiving portion or channel 24 a is disposed at a cable receivingpassageway 32 at the narrowed end of the tapered channel 24. Cablereceiving passageway 32 is generally aligned with aperture or passageway29 of locking body 12 when locking insert 16 is inserted into orreceived in locking body 12 so that locking end 14 b of cable 14 may beinserted through aperture or passageway 29 and into cable receivingpassageway 24 d and into cable receiving portion 32 of locking insert16. As can be seen in FIG. 3, cable receiving passageway 32 and cablereceiving portion 24 a may extend generally longitudinally along lockinginsert 16 and locking body 12 so that cable 14 may be inserted thereinin a generally longitudinal direction along the locking body. Cablereceiving passageway 32 extends the entire length of locking insert 16so that the free end or locking end 14 b of cable 14 may be inserted adesired or appropriate amount, and may extend out from locking insertand locking body when inserted therethrough.

Disk element 22 is movable along tapered channel 24 and engages cable 14when cable 14 is received in passageway 32 and cable receiving portion24 a. Disk 22 engages and rolls along cable receiving portion 24 a andalong the ramped surface or inclined surface 24 b of tapered channel 24.As can be seen in FIGS. 3, 9, 10 and 11A, ramped surface 24 b comprisesan arcuate or curved surface that curves toward cable receiving portion24 a and cable 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the ramped surface 24b curves toward the cable receiving portion 24 a to provide aprogressively increasing attack angle and clamping force of disk 22against cable 14 if a person attempts to retract cable 14 from lockingbody 12, as discussed below.

Disk element 22 may comprise any suitable locking element, such as acylindrical-shaped disk or a spherical-shaped ball or the like. Forexample, disk element 22 may comprise a cylindrical-shaped disk having aroughened or toothed or knurled outer circumferential surface, with acircumferential groove established in the knurled outer surface andcircumferentially around the disk element. The circumferential groovemay be established along a center region of the disk element or may beoffset from the center region toward one of the ends of the disk.

Because the cable 14 may comprise wound cable strands that typicallyform a helix pattern (which may be similar to the threads on a screw orother threaded fastener), a conventional or known disk element (having agroove at the centerline of the disk element) may not sufficientlyresist retraction of the cable when a rotational force is applied tounscrew the cable from the locking device or rock the cable back andforth relative to the locking device to “walk” the cable out of thelocking device without leaving evidence of tampering with the securityseal. In a conventional cable locking seal using a conventional diskelement, it is known that if the cable is twisted clockwise andcounterclockwise the cable may be removed from the locking seal withoutleaving evidence of tampering. In such conventional cable locking seals,a knurled disk typically has a single groove that is centrally locatedaround the disk element.

Optionally, and desirably, the disk element of locking device 10 may beformed with its circumferential groove offset or established off-centeror toward one end or the other of the disk element. The offset groovemay be located at or toward one end of the disk element and may assistin preventing the cable from being turned out or unscrewed out, becausethe rotation of the cable against the disk element with the offsetgroove (when the cable is rotated in a direction towards the offsetgroove) tends to urge or push the cable into the offset groove, therebylimiting or substantially precluding retraction of the cable from thelocking device. When the cable is rotated in the opposite direction (orif the offset groove is located on the opposite side of the diskelement), the cable may not be urged into the groove and the diskelement may not prevent the cable from being retracted from the lockingdevice, because in such an application, the rotation of the cable maypush the cable out from the groove.

Optionally, and desirably, the disk element may include a pair of spacedapart offset circumferential grooves established on opposite sides ofthe centerline of the disk element (the centerline of the disk elementbeing generally centered between the two opposite ends of the diskelement with a plane at the centerline comprising a plane that isperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the disk element) so as tolimit retraction of the cable from the locking device regardless of thedirection of rotation of the cable relative to the disk element. Forexample, and with reference to FIGS. 12, 12A and 12B, a disk element 22′includes an outer cylindrical-shaped knurled surface 22 a′ (having aplurality of ridges or teeth established around the surface) and a pairof spaced apart offset or off-center circumferential grooves 22 b′established in the knurled surface 22 a′ and around the circumference ofthe disk element 22′. The offset groove (or holding channel) or grooves22 b′ is/are able to separate or capture one or more strands of thecable and hold on to the cable (with the strands being urged into arespective groove during rotation of the cable in the direction of therespective groove), thereby limiting or preventing further rotation ofthe cable. Because the grooves are off of the center line of the cableand disk element, during rotation of the cable relative to the diskelement, the twisting motion of the cable forces the strand or strandsof the cable deeper into the respective groove or holding channel. Insituations where a person attempts to rock the cable back and forth byselectively twisting the cable in opposite directions, the grooves limitor substantially preclude rotation of the cable in each direction andtherefore limit or substantially preclude a person from rocking thecable and walking the cable out of the locking device. If the cable isfurther inserted into the locking device, the disk element may movealong the ramped surface away from the cable and the holding channel orgroove may then release the cable strand and allow the cable to beinserted further into the locking device.

Optionally, and with reference to FIG. 13, a disk element 22″ mayinclude an outer knurled surface 22 a″ and a pair of spaced apart offsetor off-center circumferential grooves 22 b″ and a centrally locatedcircumferential groove 22 c″ established in the knurled surface 22 a″and around the circumference of the disk element 22″. The central groove22 c″ may receive the cable and limit retraction of the cable viapulling at the cable, while the laterally offset grooves 22 b″ limit orsubstantially preclude rotation of the cable relative to the lockingdevice and disk element to limit rotation or rocking of the cable backand forth to limit or substantially preclude unscrewing of the cable orwalking the cable out of the locking device.

Optionally, and desirably, the disk element may be made of a hard ortough material that is harder than the material of the cable itself.Otherwise, the cable (if harder or stronger than the disk material) mayact like a file and wear out the surface or chip and crack the cornersof the disk element. Thus, it is desirable that the disk elementcomprise a material that is harder and stronger than the cable.

Thus, the offset or off-center one, two or three (or more) grooveconfigurations of the disk element of the present invention provideenhanced gripping of a cable by the disk element and locking device andmay provide enhanced assembly orientations. With a symmetrical diskelement (such as the two or three groove configurations shown in FIGS.12 and 13), the assembly process is simplified because the disk may beinserted into and disposed in the locking body in either direction.

When security seal 10 is assembled, locking insert 16 is disposed withinthe hollow cavity of locking body 12, and may be secured therein, suchas via staking or crimping, such as via staking or crimping the lockingbody 12 at a crimping portion 12 f that is generally at a receivingportion or aperture 16 d at wider portion 16 a of locking insert 16.When so disposed, narrowed end 16 b of locking insert 16 is received atnarrowed end portion 28 b of the hollowed interior of the locking body.The wider portion 16 a and narrowed end portion 16 b of locking insert16 are thus received in and engaged with the respective walls of lockingbody 12 at the respective end portions of the locking body. Theintermediate width portion 16 c of locking insert 16 extends betweenwider end portion 16 a and narrowed end portion 16 b and is disposed atwider receiving portion 28 a of the hollow interior of locking body 12.Thus, a gap 30 is established between the side wall of locking insert 16and the side wall 12 e of locking body 12.

During use, a person may insert the free end or locking end 14 b of thecable 14 through an object (such as through an opening or hasp or thelike of an object, such as a cargo container or door or the like) andinto the cable receiving passageway 29 of locking body 12 and into cablereceiving passageway 32 and cable receiving channel portion 24 a oflocking insert 16. When so inserted, the cable may push the disk element22 against the spring 26 to allow for insertion of the cable into thelocking body the desired or appropriate amount, and the cable isretained in the locking body via the locking insert, such that thesecurity seal is thus substantially locked or sealed to the object.

After the cable is inserted the desired or appropriate amount, anyretraction of the cable (such as by pulling the cable in a directionopposite the insertion direction), causes the disk element 22 to rollalong the tapered channel 24 and along the arcuate surface 24 b in thedirection of the attempted movement of the cable (in other words, towardthe narrowed end of the tapered channel). As the disk element 22 movesalong the arcuate surface 24 b, the disk element moves toward and bitesinto or clamps against the cable 14 that is disposed at the cablereceiving channel 24 a. The arcuate surface 24 b provides enhancedclamping of the disk element 22 into the cable 14 by providing aprogressively increasing or sharper bite angle, whereby the disk element22 bites into the cable and limits or substantially precludes retractionof the cable. The arcuate surface provides enhanced clamping of thecable and enhanced initial engagement and clamping of the cable, withonly a limited or substantially shortened or reduced amount of initialcable retraction as compared to conventional security seals.

If a person attempts to tamper with security seal 10 when it is securedto an object, such as by clamping or squeezing the security seal tolimit proper functioning and clamping of the cable by the locking insert16, the side wall 12 e of locking body 12 (that is disposed along gap30) will collapse or deform, thereby providing a readily viewable anddiscernible visible indication that the security seal has been tamperedwith. In the illustrated embodiment, the tapered channel 24 of lockinginsert 16 (along with the disk element 22 and spring 26) is disposedalong and within the wider receiving portion 28 a of locking body 12 andwith the gap 30 established along the entirety of or substantially theentirety of the tapered channel 24, in order to limit or substantiallypreclude a person from clamping or squeezing a portion of the taperedchannel and/or disk element at a location where the side wall 12 e maynot deform in response to such clamping or squeezing of the lockingbody. Thus, any sufficiently strong compression or squeezing or clampingof the locking body at any location along the tapered channel portion ofthe locking body will result in at least partial deformation of the sidewall of the locking body.

Therefore, the present invention provides a locking device or securityseal that provides a tamper evident feature in that if a person attemptsto retract the cable or locking element from the locking body byclamping against or squeezing the locking body (which may adverselyaffect the locking insert from working properly by limiting movement ofthe disk or ball of the locking insert), the wall or walls of thelocking body may readily deform or partially collapse so that a personlater observing the security seal can readily discern that the securityseal had been tampered with. The present invention also provides acurved or arcuate surface or ramp along which a disk or ball may roll toclamp the cable or locking element within the locking insert of thelocking body. The curved or arcuate surface provides a sharper orgreater biting angle for the ball or disk to enhance biting or clampingagainst the cable or locking element if the cable is pulled at in anattempt to retract the cable from the locking body. The initialretraction of the cable when initially pulled thus may be limited by thesharper bite angle whereby a greater amount of clamping force may beachieved at the cable in a reduced amount of longitudinal travel (alongthe locking body and in the direction of the cable retraction) of thedisk or ball. The disk element may further enhance the functionality ofthe locking device by providing one or more off-center circumferentialgrooves to limit or substantially preclude rotation of the cablerelative to the disk element and locking device to further limit orsubstantially preclude retraction of the cable from the locking device.

Changes and modifications to the specifically described embodiments maybe carried out without departing from the principles of the presentinvention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of theappended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patentlaw.

1. A security seal comprising: a locking element configured to bereceived through an object; a locking body configured to receive an endof said locking element therein to secure said security seal at anobject; and wherein said locking body comprises a collapsible ordeformable wall that collapses or deforms responsive to a sufficientpressure being applied to said wall of said locking body, and thusprovides a tamper evident feature.
 2. The security seal of claim 1,wherein said locking body receives a locking insert therein, and whereinsaid collapsible or deformable wall is spaced from said locking insertso that the wall deforms towards said locking insert when pressure isapplied thereto.
 3. The security seal of claim 2, wherein said lockinginsert engages a portion of said collapsible or deformable wall withsaid space or gap being between said locking insert and another portionof said collapsible or deformable wall.
 4. The security seal of claim 3,wherein said locking insert engages another wall of said locking bodythat is opposite said collapsible or deformable wall.
 5. The securityseal of claim 4, wherein said locking element comprises a flexible cableand wherein said locking insert comprises a disk element that is movablealong a tapered channel to clamp against said flexible cable when saidflexible cable is received in said locking element and when saidflexible cable is moved in a retracting direction.
 6. The security sealof claim 5, wherein said tapered channel comprises an arcuate surfacealong which said disk element moves to provide enhanced clamping at saidlocking element.
 7. The security seal of claim 5, wherein said diskelement comprises a knurled surface with at least one circumferentialgroove established in said knurled surface and circumferentially aroundsaid disk element, and wherein said at least one circumferential grooveis offset from a center line of said disk element and toward arespective end of said disk element.
 8. A security seal comprising: aflexible cable configured to be received through an object; a lockingbody configured to receive an end of said flexible cable to secure saidsecurity seal at an object; a disk element disposed in said locking bodyand movable along a tapered channel to clamp against said flexible cableto limit or substantially preclude retraction of said flexible cablewhen said security seal is secured to an object; and wherein saidtapered channel comprises an arcuate surface along which said diskelement moves to provide a progressively increasing bite angle andprogressively increasing clamping force at said locking element.
 9. Thesecurity seal of claim 8, wherein said arcuate surface provides asharper biting angle for said disk element to enhance biting or clampingagainst said flexible cable responsive to said flexible cable beingpulled in an attempt to retract said flexible cable from said lockingbody.
 10. The security seal of claim 9, wherein an initial retraction ofsaid flexible cable when initially pulled is limited by the sharper biteangle whereby a greater amount of clamping force is achieved at saidflexible cable in a reduced amount of travel of said disk element alongsaid locking body and in a direction of the cable retraction.
 11. Thesecurity seal of claim 8, further comprising a locking insert that isdisposed in said locking body, wherein said disk element is disposed insaid locking insert and movable along a tapered channel of said lockinginsert.
 12. The security seal of claim 11, wherein said locking bodycomprises a collapsible or deformable wall that collapses or deformsresponsive to a sufficient pressure being applied to said wall of saidlocking body.
 13. The security seal of claim 12, wherein saidcollapsible or deformable wall is spaced from said locking insert sothat the wall deforms towards said locking insert when pressure isapplied thereto.
 14. The security seal of claim 8, wherein said diskelement comprises a knurled surface with at least one circumferentialgroove established in said knurled surface and circumferentially aroundsaid disk element, and wherein said at least one circumferential grooveis offset from a center line of said disk element and toward arespective end of said disk element.
 15. A security seal comprising: aflexible cable configured to be received through an object; a lockingbody configured to receive an end of said flexible cable to secure saidsecurity seal at an object; a disk element disposed in said locking bodyand movable along a tapered channel to clamp against said flexible cableto limit or substantially preclude retraction of said flexible cablewhen said security seal is secured to a container or door; and whereinsaid disk element comprises a knurled surface with at least onecircumferential groove established in said knurled surface andcircumferentially around said disk element, and wherein said at leastone circumferential groove is offset from a center line of said diskelement and toward a respective end of said disk element.
 16. Thesecurity seal of claim 15, wherein said at least one circumferentialgroove comprises a pair of offset grooves each established in saidknurled surface and circumferentially around said disk element towardrespective opposite ends of said disk element.
 17. The security seal ofclaim 16, further comprising a centrally located circumferential grooveestablished in said knurled surface and circumferentially around saiddisk element at a central region of said disk element.
 18. The securityseal of claim 15, wherein said tapered channel comprises an arcuate rampalong which said disk element moves to provide a progressivelyincreasing bite angle and progressively increasing clamping force atsaid locking element, and wherein said arcuate ramp provides a sharperbite angle for said disk element to enhance clamping against saidflexible cable responsive to said flexible cable being pulled in anattempt to retract said flexible cable from said locking body.
 19. Thesecurity seal of claim 15, further comprising a locking insert that isdisposed in said locking body, wherein said disk element is disposed insaid locking insert and movable along a tapered channel of said lockinginsert.
 20. The security seal of claim 15, wherein said locking bodycomprises a collapsible or deformable wall that collapses or deformsresponsive to a sufficient pressure being applied to said wall of saidlocking body.